Physical Fitness, Exercise Self-Efficacy, and Quality of Life in Adulthood: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The aim of the present work is the elaboration of a systematic review of existing research on physical fitness, self-efficacy for physical exercise, and quality of life in adulthood. Method: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines, and based on the findings in 493 articles, the final sample was composed of 37 articles, which were reviewed to show whether self-efficacy has previously been studied as a mediator in the relationship between physical fitness and quality of life in adulthood. Results: The results indicate that little research exists in relation to healthy, populations with the majority being people with pathology. Physical fitness should be considered as a fundamental aspect in determining the functional capacity of the person. Aerobic capacity was the most evaluated and the 6-min walk test was the most used. Only one article shows the joint relationship between the three variables. Conclusions: We discuss the need to investigate the mediation of self-efficacy in relation to the value of physical activity on quality of life and well-being in the healthy adult population in adult life.

The Role of Recreation Specialization and Self-Efficacy on Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Flow Experience

“…Our results also suggest self-efficacy significantly contributes to runners’ life satisfaction. A high degree of self-efficacy contributes to perseverance and to feeling positive and energetic [ 21 , 22 ], all of which are important to leading a healthy and satisfying life [ 23 , 24 , 53 ]. More importantly, our results extend earlier work by finding that flow experience had an indirect effect on the relationship between self-efficacy and life satisfaction.…”

“…Under normal conditions, the stronger an individual’s self-efficacy and outcome expectation, the more likely he or she will begin and persist with a given activity [ 21 ]. During exercise, people with a higher level of self-efficacy were usually found to show a greater sense of energy, expend less effort, and experience more positive feelings [ 22 ]. Recent studies have found that general self-efficacy was strongly related to college students’ life satisfaction [ 23 , 24 ].…”

The impact of physical fitness on resilience to modern life stress and the mediating role of general self-efficacy

“…Also in a recent review, sport scientists examined the potential mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between physical fitness and well-being. They could confirm that both fitness and self-efficacy play an important role for improved health, however, the causal relations remain unclarified [ 89 ]. This illustrates that more studies are needed to establish whether self-efficacy promotes physical activity or the other way around.…”

Influence of Alpine Skiing on Health-Related Quality of Life and Physical Self-Concept in Physically Active Adults over 55 Years of Age

“…The Spanish version of the SF-36 [ 46 ] questionnaire was used, which has proven validity, high reliability, and wide use in the older adult population for measuring their subjective health and capabilities or limitations to perform daily tasks [ 42 , 46 , 47 ]. It is composed of eight domains: physical function (PF, 10 items, α = 0.93), physical role (PR, 4 items, α = 0.95), bodily pain (BP, 2 items, α = 0.87), general health (GH, 5 items, α = 0.79), vitality (VI, 4 items, α = 0.85), social function (SF, 2 items, α = 0.72), emotional role (ER, 3 items, α = 0.91) and mental health (MH, 5 items, α = 0.85).…”